Monday, January 26, 2015

500 Letters: Maps

I've noticed that my attention span has been slowly disintegrating. I flip through Netflix content, wondering what is good, what I will like, what can satisfy my need for entertainment for 30 minutes or so. I've struggled to finish books unless I am into them right away. I crave the immediate updates of Twitter. Even writing this right now I can feel my brain wanting me to flip to TweetDeck to see what is going on even though I am 99% sure nothing has updated.

A few people have asked how letter writing helped my anxiety. It takes me out of the world of instant gratification and grounds me in a quieter, more fulfilling place. It reminds that multitasking is overrated. (Even though I realized I had the TV on while I wrote some letters the other day.) I've come to appreciate those lulls in the day.

One other thing that has surprised me about this project is the number of people who have reached out to me who I thought I would never hear from again. I didn't purposefully stop communicating with these people, it just happened due to circumstances. It's been a nice surprise to reconnect.

Here's a map of where I've sent letters so far. Fifty-six letters to thirteen different states (and two countries). Minnesota is by far the leader, with Massachusetts in second. It would be great if I could get every state. I don't think I know people in every state. I may have to find celebrities to write to.